No-one knows what causes Alzheimer’s, he said, “but for some reason the neurons in certain parts of the brain die”.

The two worst affected areas are responsible for memories of both personal experiences and facts.

Currently, “a handful of medications” are used to treat it but they mask the symptoms as opposed to fixing the disease.

Phillips has previously done a similar diet study for Parkinson’s disease, which found that the ketogenic diet led to greater improvements for the symptoms medication doesn’t work well for.

The Alzheimer’s trial will run for three months and patient improvement will be measured in three key areas: cognition, function at home, and quality of life.

People who want to take part must meet the following criteria: be aged 50 to 80, have mild Alzheimer’s, live with someone who can be their study partner, and be able to make five visits to Waikato Hospital.

They will get 24/7 support, be reviewed by several doctors and nurses, and have APO-E4 genetic testing.

The trial is expected to start in mid-2019 and is supported by the Waikato Medical Research Foundation.

For more information, visit the website or email Matthew Phillips.

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Studies have started to look at the ketogenic diet, which mimics fasting (file photo).

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF

The healthy recommended diet currently has the most evidence supporting it, and includes lots of fruit and vegetables (file photo).